Wow!  It has been many months since I have posted. But spring is finally here and I can take a break from gardening to write about gardening! This year the tulips did very well.  I planted more last fall and boy are they beautiful and they all seemed to come up even though there are a lot of squirrels in the hood.  I think buying them from a very good source helps.  I bought from Brent and Becky's Bulbs here in Virginia.  I am always a bit skeptical of bulbs bought from big box stores that are in boxes and bags.  You just do not know how long they have been stored and in what conditions.  Speaking of bulbs, my dad and I planted garlic last September using organic bulbs from the farmers market and they are growing like crazy!  In a previous attempt we used bulbs from grocery store, not organic and the did not grow well.

We have had a cool spring so far but my tomato plants ordered from Park Seeds came last week!  Too early to plant tomatoes.  So I will have to stick them in cold frame for a while.  Annoying.  But almost all garden centers already have tomatoes and peppers and other warm weather veggies for sale.  Shame on them. People will plant them and they will probably live but they won't produce very well.

This year I am going to try using liquid mycorrhizal fungi to assist plants roots in absorbing nutrients from the soil and added fertilizers.  The product is called Alpha Thrive and I have high hopes for the benefits of mycorrhizal fungus.
It helps legumes so why not other plants? I have not used it yet because the soil temperature has to be above 45F, and I am not sure it has warmed up that much yet.  Will keep you posted.

Fall is here

The leaves are starting to turn, going to plant garlic and other bulbs soon.  Hoping the giant mustard starts to get bigger, still too small!  Not sure if it is too late to start Brussels sprouts from seed but will try anyway.  Wish me luck on growing winter/fall vegetables.

Garden Shed

Finally I have a new door and steps to garden shed!  Here it is!

Well fall is on its way and I am raring to go with the fall veggies.  I may actually get some carrots from my planting in late July.  Soon I will plant garlic, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, red kale, more mustard and all sorts of other stuff.  But first I have to finish off the green beans, okra and zucchini.  I have a killer recipe for vegetable gumbo (vegan and non-vegan).  Finally, i had someone add real steps to my garden shed.  Now I am in less danger of breaking a leg when I go in and out of the shed.  Miss Maddie, my terrier-corgi-fox-rabbit-woodland creature-dog, can manage the steps too.  I have learned a lot about when to plant stuff this year.  They were mainly negative lessons, but I am learning. I am adding more garden beds and berries.  Next year I hope to add a couple of fruit trees too.

I cannot express how much joy I feel when I look at my garden.  Thanks to my generous parents and family I am living my dream of my own piece of Eden.I am one of the luckiest people in the world.  Now if I could just get those nasty insects to leave my melons alone...

It's suddenly August 19th and I am already planting carrots, mustard and lettuces, plus a few other fall crops.  It feels like the summer is already over and I haven't had a very good crop of tomatoes or any melons yet.  I will have to start everything earlier next year.  Plus I am going back to growing tomatoes from seed. The last two years I have bought plants from "reputable" garden centers.  But the plants do not do well.  My theory is  that I buy the plants in June because that is the best time to plant outside, but these plants were probably ready to be planted in the ground much earlier and they have experienced stresses from being out in all sorts of temperatures, they may have been watered unevenly and I have no idea how many chemicals they have been subjected to.  Another possibility is to purchase from organic sources of plants online.  We shall see in January if I am ready for growing my own seedlings or not. Of course looking at seed catalogs I will no doubt succumb to their seductive descriptions of rare heirlooms and old time favorites.

It is raining now as I write (of course, I watered this morning!).  It feels a bit fall-ish today and I am planning a harvest party.  But that doesn't mean the garden is being neglected, at least in my mind it is being planted with fall crops and the blueberries are about to be put in their new raised bed. Remember, dreaming is a form of planning ahead.

Isn't this just the cutest thing? And doesn't it look like a fairy is about to come out of the little door! from BBB Seeds(www.bbbseeds.com)

Hoping to grow cucumbers this year. I had a few lemon cukes make it last year but the Japanese long, killed by bacterial wilt caused by cucumber beetle. I hate cucumber beetles. Never have been able to grow cucumbers successfully, this year I hope it works. Going to cover the little plants until they are large enough to fend off said beetle and bacteria. Hope it works. Also, the Swiss chard did well, unfortunately I don't like it that much so I probably won't grow it next year although it is pretty and healthy (it comes in various colors). I really loved the bok choi I grew this year, but I can't remember the name of it. Am I the person who always tells you to write everything down?